Safety catch



1,563,777 E. MOREHOUSE SAFETY CATCH Filed 'Ju1y.1, 1924 me/rulez fugene ffm-ema@ aucuns' S Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE.

EUGENE MOREHOUSEQF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO B. A. BALLOU & CO., INC., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, .A .CORFORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

sArETY oa'rori.

Application filed July 1,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE MoRnHoUsE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Catches, of which the following is a Y specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of a safety catch which is designed tol lock the pointed end of a pin stem when engaged therein: and the object of this invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of detent which is located a substantial distance from the operating center of rotation of the keeper and arranged tobe engaged by the operating handle of the keeper member of the catch to firmly retain this member in closed position, to prevent the keeper from moving from locked position when engaging the pin stem.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed'out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my impro-ved safety catch as applied to a bar in. p Figure 2 is an enlarged view illustrating the keeper member with the trunnion-shaped central hub.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of this keeper member'.

Figure 4c is a view of the body member of the catch in extended position as cut from sheet stock.

Figure 5 is an edge view of this body member. Figure 6 shows the body member folded into operating position with the keeper member mounted therein, swung to open position.

Figure 7 shows the keeper member as rotated into closed position.

Figure 8 is a top edge view of the catch with the keeper member in open position.

Figure 9 is another design of safety catch to which my improved form of detent is applied.

Figure 10 is an edge view of the structure shown in Figure 9.

It is found in the practical construc- 1924. serial No. 723,538.

tion and operation of safety catches which are designed to be applied to jewelry, such as pins, brooches, and the like, that when these pins are of expensive construction such as those carrying gems and the like, it is very important that some sort of keeper be applied to the catch and that the keeper be so located as to permit its being readily locked to prevent it moving from closed position, except by the application of pressure by hand of the operator, and in order to accomplish this in a simple and edective way, I have provided a detent which is set the maximum distance. from the operating center of the keeper, and I have mounted this detent to extend beyond the marginal edge of the member in position to engage the operating handle and so exert the maximum retaining effect upon the keeper when moved to closed position: and the following is a detailed description of the present embodiment of my invention b v which this advantageous result is obtained `With reference to the drawings, 10 designates an article of jewelry such as a bar pin, brooch or the like on which my improved catch 11 is mounted to be engaged by the pointed end of a pin stem 12 which is herein shown as being pivotally mounted in the joint member 13.

This catch member is formed in two parts, the body portion 14 of which may be made in various ways, but the preferred form of which is by forming the same from sheet stock into elongated shape as illustrated in Figure 4, having a central bore 15 in its enlarged or body portion 16, in which the trunnion of the keeper is rotatably mounted, 'as presently described.

This body portion is folded into the position best illustrated in Figure 1, having its body portion 16 set vertically to the plane of the pin body 10, while its standard portion 17 is set on an angle to this body to assist in supporting the same and also to serve as a protection or housing for the pointed end of the pin stem.

The keeper member 18 has a central portion which is preferably formed circularly and is slotted from its periphery as at 19, which slot is arranged to register with the slot 20 in the body member when the keeper is moved to open position, as illustrated in Figure 6. This keeper is pro-vided with a trunnion 9.1 which is adapted to be rotatably mounted in the opening l in the body inember and is headed over as at 22 to lock it in position in the body.

This keeper member is also provided with one or more handles 23, the preferred form being the forming of al pair of these handles having a. space 24 between them. The handles being adapted to swing the keeper into and out of closed and open position.

It is found of importance in the construction and operation of safety catches of this character of advantage to provide a detent or lockr for the keeper to retain it when swung to closed position, and in order to accomplish this in ya simple and effective way, I have formed a protuberance 25 which is mounted on the extending portion 26 to project beyond the margin of. the body detent the maximum distance from the operating center of the catch. rlhe surface of this protuberance is arranged to extend laterally into the path of movement of the handles 23 whereby these handles must be sprung over this protuberance in moving the keeper to and from closed position.

In the case where the handles are formed in pairs, as shown in my improved form, herein illustrated, only one of the handles has to be sprung over the. protuberance which is then caused to lie in the space between the handles and serves to retain the keeper in closed position wherein the slot 19 in the keeper extends in a direction opposite to that of the slot 2O in the body member.

By positioning the detent the maximum dist-ance from the operating center the strongest leverage is obtained to hold the keeper in its closed position.

- I do not wish to be restricted to the particular construction of body and keeper herein shown as the catch member may be formed in any other desiredI way. For instance, the particular form of questionmark shape of catch, as illustrated in Fig. ure 9, may also be provided with a detent as at 26 which extends radially beyond the general peripheral outline of the catch and in position to `be engaged by the operating handle 27 when moved to closed position to retain the keeper 2S in that position.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A safety catch having a body member, a keeper member rotatably mounted in said body and having an operating handle projecting outwardly beyond the margin of the body member, a detent protuberance on said body exten-ding beyond the margin thereof into the path of movement of said arm, whereby said arm is sprung past the protuberance in moving to and from closed position.

2. A safety Catch having a body member with a detent protuberance extending outwardly from said body beyond the general marginal outline thereof, a keeper member rotatably mounted in said body and having an outwardly extending operating handle arranged to spring past said detent in swinging to and from closed position.

3. A safety catch having a body member slotted to receive a pin-tongue, a keeper having a slot to register with that in said body, and having a central trunnion mounted to rotate in said body and an operating handle extending beyond the margin of the body, said body having an integral detent protuberance extending radially beyond its general marginal outline and also laterally to be frictionally engaged by said handle in moving the keeper to and from closed position.

4. A safety catch having a body member slotted to receive a pin-tongue, a` keeper having a slot to register with that in said body, and having a central trunnion mounted to rotate in said body, a pair of operating handles extending outwardly from said keeper beyond the margin of the body, said body having a detent protuberance extending radially beyond its general marginal outline and also laterally to snap between said pair of handles to retain said keeper against movement in either direction.

In testimony whereof AI affix my signature.

EUGENE MOREHOUSE. 

